Saint Francis

The Master of the Fogg Pietà, to whom this work is attributed, is so named after a small
painting by the same hand at the Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The
distinctive style has enabled art historians to attribute a number of works to that artist, even
though virtually nothing is known of his life and identity. It is believed that he worked in
Florence and was greatly influenced by the rich, decorative surface of paintings produced in
nearby Siena. The Master of the Fogg Pietà continued a tradition begun by the early
Renaissance painter Giotto, in which the modeling of the figure, in this case Saint Francis, helps
to create a more realistic depiction of form and space.

Saint Francis, who founded the religious order of the Franciscans in the early thirteenth century,
is represented here over one hundred years later. He is easily recognized by the stigmata,
marks corresponding to the wounds that appear on Christ's hands, feet, and side. The
inscription on the scroll records part of the Epistle of his Mass. In addition to Saint Francis, the
Worcester Art Museum owns a twin panel depicting Saint Philip; both panels appear to have
been part of a large altarpiece.